Document Type

Technical Report

Publication Date

10-1-1975

Keywords

Trace metals, Water-soluble rocks, Rain water, Limestones

Abstract

Trace metals in limestone are potential water contaminants because they can enter the ground water when the limestone is dissolved by carbonic acid and other naturally occurring acids. Four local limestones, the St. Joe and Pitkin Formations (Mississippian) and the Brentwood and Kessler Members of the Bloyd Formation (Pennsylvanian) were sampled in a five county area in Northwest Arkansas. Atomic absorption analyses were made for Na, K, Mg, Ca, Zh, Cu, Ba, Fe, Co, Cr, Ni, Mn, Li and Sr on the acid soluble material of the samples. All the limestones are relatively pure CaCO3 with Pitkin the purest, 93.4%. Calcium and acid soluble material values varied only 3-5% from the average among the limestones whereas 71-108% variation occurred for Fe, Mn, K and Cr. Other elements showed intermediate variations. Only Fe and Mn are present on the average in the limestones at concentration levels which might lead to contamination of ground water to undesirably high levels. Analyses compare well with the reported "average" limestone except for acid insoluble elements which were not dissolved in our scheme and lithium (1.5 ppm average vs 20 in reference). Ratios of Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca were similar to reported values for limestones of comparable geologic age. Maxima in the areal variation of these ratios occurred at about the same latitude for three of the formations. The areal variation of Fe/Ca and Mn/Ca was also determined for the four limestone formations. Interelement correlations in the limestones showed: Na, Sr, Li, Fe and Zn contents increased with Mg content; Mn and Cr increased with Fe content. Indications were obtained that detrital and other materials not in the calcite structure can be determined by their relative insolubility in acetic acid compared to hydrochloric acid.

Report Number

PUB036

Page

59

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